


The Sweetest Sound

by acedott



Series: Vanessa Gottlieb Appreciation [4]
Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Cunnilingus, F/F, Family Issues, Female Character of Color, Karla is Black and Adopted, Making Out, Mutual Pining, Pining, Self-Indulgent, me? project onto characters never shown on screen? its more likely than you think, playing fast and loose with the timeline, so i retconned the inch and took a mile, tr@vis gave me an inch, uprising dont interact
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:47:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25306972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acedott/pseuds/acedott
Summary: Vanessa has been in love with Karla since the day they met. After the War is over, she finally does something about it.
Relationships: Karla Gottlieb/Vanessa Gottlieb, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb
Series: Vanessa Gottlieb Appreciation [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774612
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	The Sweetest Sound

Vanessa met Karla and Hermann Gottlieb when she was five years old.

She saw a girl flying high on the swings, deep brown skin shining in the sunlight, and had to say hello.

“I’m Vanessa, you look brown like me, do you want to be my friend?” she said all in one breath.

The other girl stopped her swing and looked at her, then smiled. “Yes please! I’m Karla Sheeza Dopted, but you can call me Karla!” She gestured to the pale, slightly scrawny boy in tweed shorts reading in the shade next to her. “This is my big brother, Hermann!”

He looked up from his book. “Hello,” he said quietly.

“Hi!” Vanessa noticed the cane in front of him and pointed to it. “What’s that?”

“It’s my cane. I use it to help me walk.”

She gasped, eyes wide. “Like a wizard?” she asked in awe.

He smiled then, showing a gap in his teeth. Karla laughed, clear and free, and Vanessa decided that was her favorite sound in the whole universe.

Years later, when Vanessa finally put two and two together and realized the implications of how Karla had introduced herself, her blood boiled.

“I just don’t understand how you aren’t furious!” she cried angrily.

“Drop it, Nessa,” Karla said wearily.

“Have you ever even _told_ them?” She was not known for dropping things. “Do they know?”

“What good would that do? It won’t change the past.”

“Yeah, but they should know that they hurt you! You deserve an apology!” _You deserve the world_.

Karla snorted. “You have met them, yes? I doubt that they’re physically capable.”

“Does this even upset you at all?”

Karla whirled on her. “Of course it does! Knowing that my parents felt the need to explain my presence so much that I thought ‘she’s adopted’ was part of my name hurts more than you can _possibly_ imagine! It hurt in primary school when I first understood and it has hurt every day since then! But what would be the point in confronting them about this, when I know they are unlikely to apologize and will instead unintentionally twist the knife in even deeper?”

Vanessa was quiet.

“I’ll just bring it up tonight at Hermann’s farewell party, then, shall I? Maybe I’ll come out too while I’m at it, my gift to my brother can be one more family fight for the road!”

Vanessa hesitated, then took her hand. “I’ll be with you,” she offered in a small voice.

Karla softened. “I know you will. You’re a good friend, Nessa. And I know you mean well. But this isn’t something you can fix.” She sighed. My relationship with my family has always been conditional, an ‘I love you, but…’ dynamic. The exception being Hermann, two outsiders against the world. Maybe I’ll tell them everything one day, but I won’t ruin this day for him. It’s bad enough Dietrich and Bastien are too busy with that damned Wall to come see him off to the Academy. So please, Nessa, drop it, alright?”

 _I’ll be your family_ , Vanessa wanted to say. _I love you because, because, because._

“I promise,” she said instead. “For you and for Hermann.”

It turned out Hermann was perfectly capable of ruining his own party. About five minutes into the gathering, he cheerfully and loudly announced that not only was he incredibly homosexual, he had no intention of falling in line and supporting the Wall of Life with his father.

It was hard to say which one of these upset Lars more. His face was a concerning shade of purple by the end of Hermann’s announcement.

“No son of mine will-”

“Finish that sentence and I will not hesitate to kick you out of this flat,” Hermann warned gleefully.

Lars clicked his jaw shut and strode out the door. Their mother dithered behind him.

“Hermann, _liebchen_ , you can’t - that is to say - Oh, Hermann, don’t betray your family like this.”

Karla saw his bravado shatter. “Actually, Mother, I’m also gay and also against Father’s blasted Wall.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “So he’s not betraying the _whole_ family. I’m rathe proud of him.” He smiled at her in surprise and gratitude.

Their mother’s eyes filled with tears. “Is this because I kept your hair so short? If I’d known…”

The three of them stared at her incredulously. “Yes, Mother, the cause of my lesbianism is a childhood of short hair because you didn’t know how to maintain my hair,” Karla responded sardonically. “My current TWA is directly linked to my homosexuality.”

The tears finally fell, then, and Mrs. Gottlieb followed her husband out the door.

“I gotta hand it to you, Hermann, you throw a hell of a party,” Vanessa said finally to ease the tension.

“Yes, that went over about as well as I expected,” he agreed. “I have a rather large bottle of tequila I’ve been saving for this occasion. Would you two care to join me?”

The sunrise next morning was greeted with groans from the Gottlieb siblings.

“Rise and shine, Muske-queers!” Vanessa chirped brightly. This was met with louder groans. “I made hangover cures,” she added in a sing-song.

“How the hell are you so cheerful?” Karla muttered, accepting a glass. Her face had multiple lines on it from passing out on the couch and she was squinting behind her round, wire-framed glasses that were sitting askew on her face. Vanessa had never been more in love with her.

“Because unlike you nerds, I partied enough at university to A) know my limits, and B) know how to make hangover cures,” she listed on her fingers. “Also, Hermann, you have mail.”

He winced at the loud thud as she dropped it onto the coffee table. “Is any of it from Newton?”

“Your mail-order boyfriend? No. But you do have a big-ass envelope from the PPDC.”

He grimaced. “I’m far too hungover for paperwork. You fill it out.”

“You must be hungover if you’re allowing her boyfriend comment to slide.” Karla choked on her drink. “What’s _in_ this, Vanessa?”

“Spinach, egg yolks, and hot sauce.”

Hermann set his cup down. “I’d rather have the hangover.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes and sat down with the paperwork. “Ungrateful. This is my uncle’s own recipe, may his memory be a blessing. It’s basically a liquified omelette.”

“In no world is that true,” Karla commented, muffled by the many pillows she’d thrown over her face. 

Vanessa huffed. “Ungrateful,” she repeated.

She had known Hermann long enough that this paperwork was actually a breeze. 

_Name: Hermann Gottlieb_

_DOB: 09/06/1989_

_Sex:_ hopefully more once he finally met Newton in person, but she dutifully wrote _M_

_Height: 1.8 m_

_Spouse…_

She paused, smiling to herself. _Shouldn’t have let me fill this out, Hermiekins_. She wrote down (lightly so he could erase it, she wasn’t a monster):

_Spouse: Vanessa Gottlieb_

Her gut twisted as she looked at her name, and she couldn’t help glancing over at Karla. Her face was hidden under the pillows, but she knew from years of sleepovers that her mouth was open slightly and drooling. She was probably snoring a little too, though the pillows blocked the sound.

She was less satisfied with her joke than she’d thought she would be. She finished the rest of the forms quickly and left them on the table. “They just need your signature.” Hermann only grunted. “Let Karla know I walked back to my place when she wakes up.”

He opened his eyes blearily and looked at her. “Are you alright, Vanessa?”

She forced a smile. “I’m fine. I just need some air.”

He looked at her skeptically, but didn’t press it. “If you’re sure.”

“I am. Now get some rest before your flight later. You wouldn’t want to be cranky when you meet your precious Newton for the first time.” She paused. “Well, crankier than usual.”

He made a face at her as she walked away, but his eyes showed his concern.

Hermann never mentioned her little paperwork prank. Probably not dignifying it with a response, she reasoned, and essentially forgot about it as the years went by. So when he called her over Skype the day after the Breach was closed, she had no idea why he was glowering at her.

“Why the long face, Hermiekins? You saved the world!”

“I am going to murder you.”

“Harsh. I know you’re not a _huge_ fan of the nickname, but-”

“Not that!” he snapped. He didn’t elaborate, just kept glaring at her.

“Okay, so is there a _reason_ for the death threat, or are you making a career change to serial killer? Not surprised, just asking.”

“The paperwork,” he spat. “You listed yourself as my _wife_ on my official PPDC paperwork.”

“Oh yeah. That was ages ago, though, don’t tell me you’re still mad! You never even brought it up.”

“I didn’t find out until yesterday,” he responded icily.

“So your very official forms are slightly inaccurate. It was a joke, payback for making me do your paperwork. You, married to a woman, dressed and acting like” she gestured to the screen “ _that_ , and me, a model, when I refuse to even make an Instagram account? It’s at least a _little_ funny. I figured you’d roll your eyes like ‘Oh Vanessa you scamp,’ erase it, and continue on your merry way. How is it my fault that you didn’t look over your own paperwork?”

“I mistakenly thought I could trust my dear friend Vanessa not to tamper with official government documents, clearly that was my mistake!”

“Is that Vanessa?” a screechy voice called from off-camera. There was some thudding and muffled cursing, then another face popped into view. “I have a bone to pick with you!”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Newton fucking Geiszler, who the hell else would I be?”

“So _you’re_ Newton! I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Yeah? Well I’ve heard fucking _nothing_ about you despite you ruining my life for the past five years!”

“Hermann, what is Hot Topic here yelling about?”

Newton spluttered.

“Because of your little _joke_ , Newton assumed I was _married_ this whole time and as such kept his feelings from me, believing they would be unwanted. I, in turn, took his lack of expression as a sign that he had no interest in me, and hid my own feelings.”

“Which created a feedback loop of you two not talking to each other about it.” She sighed. “Look, I’m genuinely sorry. I had no idea anybody would ever see that besides Hermann, much less that it would keep you two apart. I just wanted to see what - never mind. How did this get cleared up, anyway, Newton?”

Hermann looked at her like she was a particularly troublesome equation, trying to figure out what she had almost let slip. Fortunately, Newt began telling the story.

“Call me Newt. So, I was about to Drift with Otachi’s baby, right, and-”

“Why were you Drifting with a baby?”

“No, a baby kaiju. Really just the brain. Anyway-”

“Why were you Drifting with a _kaiju?_ ”

“Information. We needed to make sure the plan to close the Breach would work. I did it once before and was fine.” Hermann waved his hand skeptically at that.

“I left him unsupervised for _five_ minutes. If I hadn’t gotten to him in time…” He trailed off, staring at Newt with naked devotion, who looked similarly captivated.

Vanessa was happy for them, really. She’d watched Hermann pine after Newt for almost ten years, some of it apparently somewhat her fault. She just couldn’t help being jealous that her own pathetic, longer time pining after Karla wouldn’t resolve similarly.

“So Newton Drifted with a kaiju brain and was about to do it again,” she summarized. “I’m assuming the details are mega classified, so I won’t even bother asking, even though I have so many questions. But where does Hermann come into this?”

Newt finally tore his eyes away from Hermann’s. “Uh, right, so I’m about to Drift again when he comes swooping in like a gangly Indiana Jones - ow!” Hermann had clearly kicked him under the table. “No, babe, it’s hot! You know I’m crazy about your skinny noodle arms - ow!”

“I offered to share the neural load with him,” Hermann took over, “and we Drifted together with the kaiju brain. After the operation was successful-”

“Because of us! You’re welcome, world!” Newt interjected.

“-Newton and I acknowledged our shared feelings, which had made themselves apparent in the Drift.”

“He straight up - well, not ‘straight’, ha - propositioned me! But I’m not a homewrecker, so I’m like ‘What about Vanessa?’ and admitted I’d read his personnel file and saw you listed as his wife, and now here we are.” He grinned. “Well, actually we had sex first because Hermann is really hot when he’s angry. And he was fucking _furious_ , it was amazing.”

“Did not need to know that, Newt, but I appreciate the honesty.” He shot her finger guns, all previous anger gone. He was weird, but clearly good for Hermann. She approved.

Hermann coughed. “Vanessa, er...I don’t wish to pry, but you said you “just wanted to see” something in regards to your name. What were you going to say?”

“It’s really nothing, Hermann, forget about it.”

“Hey wait, so is your so-called ‘wife’ Vanessa the same Vanessa your sister’s in love with?” Newt clapped a hand over his mouth. “Shit.”

The bottom fell out of Vanessa’s world. “Karla’s in love with me?”

“It’s a different Vanessa!” Hermann shrieked unconvincingly. “Newton, you bloody imbecile! I told you-”

“Hermann.” He stopped yelling at Newt and turned back to the screen. “Is Karla in love with me?”

He hung his head. “Yes. She made me swear not to tell you. I’m sorry you found out this way, Newton has no filter at all, I’m afraid.”

Newt opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off. “You two just dropped a fucking bomb on me, can you maybe focus up for like two seconds?” They nodded sheepishly. “Are you for real? This isn’t revenge for the whole fake wife thing, Karla _actually_ has feelings for me?”

“Vanessa, I would never joke about this, not with you. I have given her as much grief about her long standing feelings for you as she has given me about my feelings for Newton.” He winced. “That is - what I mean to say is-”

“‘Long standing?’” she echoed faintly. “ _How_ long standing?”

“I really oughtn’t-”

“Hermann. How long?”

He hesitated. “I believe from the day she met you.”

Vanessa gaped and sank back in her chair. Her eyes unfocused and she stared off at nothing.

“Hole shit, V, do you love her too?” Newt asked.

Her eyes shot back to the screen. “Of course I do! She's kind and brilliant and funny, not to mention drop dead gorgeous. And she's awkward as hell but when she's relaxed for once it's like the goddamn sun coming out. I just...I never thought she would feel the same. I'm loud, and blunt, and stubborn, and-"

"That's exactly what she loves about you, Vanessa," Hermann interrupted gently. "And she fears you don't feel the same for exactly the reasons you love her."

Vanessa grabbed her keys. “I gotta go. Thank you both, really.”

She ran out of her apartment, not bothering to hang up and barely bothering to lock her door. She drove the short distance to Karla’s townhouse impatiently, praying her nerve wouldn’t fail when she got there.

What felt like an eternity (but was actually about five minutes) later, she arrived at Karla’s place and pounded rapidly at the door. She might have scared some neighbors, but she really could not give less of a shit right now.

Karla opened the door still in her pajamas, which was really just a sleep shirt she’d stolen from Dietrich when he moved out, and she was so beautiful Vanessa thought she might die.

“Vanessa! You heard the news, right?”

“Do you love me?” Vanessa blurted out.

Karla’s eyes widened, but she kept her composure. “Of course, Nessa, you’re my best friend.”

“No, not as a friend. I mean, are you _in_ love with me?”

Karla’s whole body stiffened. “Come inside, Vanessa. I don’t want to do this out here.”

Terrified that Hermann was wrong, that this was all a misunderstanding, Vanessa followed her inside and stood in the hallway.

Karla closed the door behind her. “Did Hermann tell you?” she demanded. Vanessa nodded wordlessly. “ _G_ _ott im Himmel_ , I will kill him, hero or not.”

“Karla, please.” Vanessa’s legs were shaking and her eyes were starting to water. Every atom of her being was telling her to run, but she had to know. “Please, Karla, I need to hear it from you.”

Karla bit her lip and hugged herself. “It’s true. I’m sorry, Nessa, I never wanted you to know, especially not like this. I can’t lose you, Vanessa, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had. Nothing has to change if you don’t want it to, I swear, just...don’t leave me.” She looked down at her feet.

Heart pounding in her throat, Vanessa stepped forwards towards Karla and gently tilted her head up from the ground to look her in the eye. “And what if...What if I want things to change? What if I feel the same way?

Karla’s eyes shone. “Really?”

Vanessa rested her forehead against Karla’s. “Really. I’ve been in love with you since the moment I first saw you twenty-five years ago.”

Karla brought their lips crashing together. Vanessa’s eyes fluttered closed as Karla’s hands found their way to the nape of her neck, caressing the tight curls there. Her own hands pulled Karla closer, one at her waist and one splayed across her shoulder blades. The soft whimper Karla let out was the most beautiful sound Vanessa had ever heard.

Karla slowly walked Vanessa backwards until her back gently thumped against the wall. Vanessa parted her lips in surprise and Karla took that opportunity to slip her tongue into Vanessa’s mouth. Their kisses became more desperate and heated. Vanessa slipped her hands under Karla’s nightie and was gratified to feel her shiver.

“Vanessa,” Karla murmured. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I don’t want our first time to be in my hallway.”

Vanessa blinked, dazed. All coherent thought had left her as soon as her back hit the wall, and her brain was struggling to come back online. “Er...Bed?” she supplied eloquently.

Karla chuckled. “Bed,” she agreed. She took Vanessa by the hand and led her to the bedroom. Vanessa prided herself on her composure, but the tantalizing smile on Karla’s face was eroding all brain function. 

Karla gently pushed her onto the bed. Vanessa gazed up at her in awe. “Karla,” she whispered reverently.

She smiled shyly, the first time she had shown any shyness since confessing her feelings. “Vanessa.”

“I never would’ve guessed that you’d be a fucking sex goddess. I’m unbelievably into it!” she rushed to add, hoping to nip any potential insecurities in the bud. “I’m just surprised.”

Karla chuckled again. Vanessa was going to combust if she kept doing that. “Usually I’m not this confident in bed,” she confided. “But, it’s you. And knowing that you love me, and want me, as much as I want you…” she shrugged, shy again.

Vanessa fisted her hand in Karla’s nightie and pulled her down. Karla squawked in surprise and Vanessa swallowed the sound. She quickly turned the kiss filthy, running her hands down Karla’s sides to grip her ass. Karla groaned from the back of her throat. Vanessa changed her mind, _that_ was the most beautiful sound. She gripped her ass tighter and moved to kiss her neck, earning her another deep groan.

“Mm, Vanessa,” she sighed. She lifted herself up slightly to unbutton her top, which Vanessa helpfully pushed off of her shoulders.

Vanessa pulled back. “Karla, I have a question. Feel free to say no.”

“What is it?” Her brows drew together in concern.

Vanessa licked her lips and swallowed. “Can I eat you out?”

Karla startled. “You _want_ to?”

She nodded emphatically. “I have ever since I was 16 and I learned what that was.”

“None of my partners have ever really wanted to. It was more about reciprocating a favor.”

Vanessa’s heart broke a little. “I’m serious. I really want to taste you.”

Karla’s eyes darkened. “Are you sure?”

Vanessa looked at her solemnly. “Karla Gottlieb, may I please perform cunnilingus on you?”

“You’re completely absurd,” she replied, laughing as she pulled her panties off and laid on her back.

Vanessa kissed her way down Karla’s body, taking note of every place and motion that made her gasp. She ghosted her breath over Karla’s clit, just enough to tease, before moving back up to her breasts.

“ _Vanessa_ ,” she whined, half-reprimand for teasing and half-pleasure at the way she swirled her tongue around each nipple.

She bit at the underside of each breast lightly before returning down to where Karla wanted her. She rolled her tongue over Karla’s clit in the same motion she’d appreciated before.”

“ _Oh_ , Nessa, do that again!” Her hands moved into Vanessa’s hair and tugged, just firmly enough to encourage her to keep going. Vanessa circled her clit a few more times before pursing her lips and sucking gently.

Karla let out a high-pitched wail as her feet scrabbled for purchase. Encouraged, Vanessa ran the tip of her tongue over her entrance once, twice, before entering, gripping Karla’s ass for added control. She stiffened her tongue and began fucking her in earnest.

Karla moaned wantonly, tightening her grip and pushing herself back onto Vanessa’s tongue again and again until she came with a strangled cry.

Vanessa worked a hand down her own pants as she slowly licked Karla through her release. The sight of her blissed-out combined with the echoes of her cries had Vanessa coming around her fingers with only a few strokes.

She peppered Karla’s stomach with tiny kisses until she laughed, then came up and nuzzled into the crook of her neck. Karla wound her arms around Vanessa and pulled her close.

“Nessa?”

“Hmm?”

“This wasn’t just a one-time occasion, was it?”

“No! I’ve been in love with you for practically my whole life, I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me now.”

She felt Karla hum happily. “Does that make you my girlfriend?”

Her heart and all other internal organs melted. “Do you want me to be?” Karla nodded, jostling her head slightly. Vanessa wrapped her arms and legs around Karla like a lovesick koala. “I’ll be yours if you’ll be mine.”


End file.
